By Themis Klarides
State Rep., R-114
Themis Klarides
Candidate Ned Lamont put down a campaign marker in 2018 when he promised $375 million in middle class property tax relief. That marker is coming due beginning in February with the beginning of the new legislative session.
The campaign promise may be hard to make good on given the looming budget deficit and relatively short time in which to pass legislation in Hartford. The session ends the first week of May. Lamont has spent most of the last year trying to get tolls approved by the House and Senate over stiff public opposition to an unwelcome issue.
Throw in the Democrats’ focus on legalizing marijuana and sports gambling – again – and fixing the growing hole in the current budget of about $48 million, and it may be that providing the promised property tax relief of the middle class gets shoved to the rear.
Based on candidate Lamont’s pledge, he would need to outline $165 million in tax cuts this year while the remaining $210 million would come in the next biennial budget beginning next year. But that is when a projected $1 billion deficit will occur according to analysts, followed by an estimated $1.3 billion deficit that will hit in 2022 if no adjustments are made to spending.
Campaign promises are great. Keeping them is the hard part, Connecticut taxpayers and voters learn repeatedly from their elected leaders.
Tax relief is what this state needs – especially the middle class, seniors and others. In order to get there, we have to focus first on spending reductions, which would provide the flexibility to bring down taxes. Too often, government acts without considering the short and long-term effects of what it is doing.
The ill-conceived tax on plastic bags is a perfect example. That 10 cent tax on each single-use bag was supposed to earn the State of Connecticut $54 million over two years. Instead stores and people just stopped using them and now we are anticipating just a fraction of that amount, contributing instead to the red ink.